Mercury boiler drum



Mani! 1935. H. J. KERR El" AL 1,994,521

MERCURY BOILER DRUM Filed Nov. 16, 1928 z Sheets-Sheet 1 f l jmL/a WZ INVE/V 70/?5.

ATTORNEYKS March 19, 1935. H. J. KERR El AL MERCURY BOILER DRUM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov M/VE/VT'ORS.

flaw/i0 J. KERR. v

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 19

UNITE o- STAT r 1,994,521" MERQURY BOILER DRUM l Howard J. Kerr; .Westfield; John Prentice,

Bayonne, and George D. Ebbets, Kenilworth, N. .L, assi'gnors to The Baboock & Wilcox Compan-y, Bayonne, J., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationNovember 16, 1928, Serial No. 319,978

10-Claims. (01. 122-212) 'This invention relates to a cylindrical-drum mercury boiler that is provided with a displacer of such form and location as to decrease the amount of mercury that would otherwise here- 5 curved and to insure ,goodcirculation. of vapor and liquidto keep the tubes from burning. The invention will be understood. from the description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a verticalsection through a furnace above which the boiler is installed; Fig. 2 a vertical sectionthrough the drum showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 3 and 4 are similarsections showing modi- :fications. v a

In the {drawings reference character 1 indicates a furnace that may be flredin'any convenient way; The horizontally disposed cylindrical ,mercury boiler drum or :2 is located above an extension atthe rear 01 the furnace so that the hot products of combustion from the furnace heat the tubes 3 depending from the drum Z-during their passage-upward, after which they pass around the .drum :2 or between several of, suchjdrumsvinto the stack. The 2 may be supported by tension members. ,4 that are hung from supportso that may. be in the form of transversely-beams and these tension members are preferably located out of the path of the hot gases. ,As shown they are protected by the end walls of the furnace :extendedup-ward.

The '2 isprovided with a combined displacer and bafiiapreferably. in the form of a solid block of metal 6 having a curved bottom7 corresponding approximately to the shape :of the inner surface of the drum 2 and beingspaced therefrom to provide a space, 8 between the displacer .6 and the drum 2 that preferably gradually increases in size upwardly.- The upper .surface of the displacer 6 is made flat, as indicated at 9, andis level. A flange 10. extends around the edges of the fiat top 9, and-partitions 10' having holes therein extend across the same and support a feed pipe. The flat level top of the displacer is below the normal liquid level and the flange 10 :forms a pool from which liquid cannot flow except to thetubes. i

. ,I-Ioles or tubes 11 are provided through'the udisplacer 6 from the level flat top surface othersof. Tube displacers or coresl2 are locatedin the tubes 3- so as to provide narrow'annular spaces next to the tubes and small central holes 13 are provided extending longitudinally through the 7 provide a slag screen effiect especially ywhen powdered coal is used :for the fuel. Nipples, sleeves or ferrules 14 that are proportionately long are connected at their top ends to the .holes 11 near the surface '9 of the drum displacerfi and at their lower ends to the upper ends of, the holes 13 in the-tube displacers .12. slightly smaller than the holes 11 and being long, a certain amount of flexibility is provided in them to permit relative movement of the parts. They are preferably made of equal lengths.

The lower portion of the drum 2 is thickened as shown at .15, and holes 16 are provided, into which the tubes 3 may be welded or otherwise secured so as to remain tight.

Curved separator .bafiies l? are provided in the upper part of the drum over the displacer 6 and extend inwardly from the walls of the drum 2. These separator bafiies 1'7 are so located as to receive mixed liquid and vapor rising between drum and displacer, changing its direction so that the liquid -;mercury be separated from the mercury vapor and will collect as a pool on the flat level surface 9 of the displacer 6 andbeprevented from flowing off of the edges thereof by means of the lip or flange .10. A feed inlet 18 .is provided for feeding mercury into the drum to the pool on the surface 9 and may rest upon the edges of thecross partitions 10..

The drum displacer 16 which is shown as a solid block-may be hollow without departing from the invention and the same is true of the tube displacers 12. i V v The operation is as follows: The heat from the furnace 1 causes the mercury in'the thin'annular I space next to the tubes 3 to. she vaporized. The mercury vapor and entrained mercury pass, upwardly with considerable velocity through the annular spaces between the tube .displacers p12 and the tubes 3 and then enter the narrow space :8 between the drum. displacer 6 .and the .drum 2 placers 12 and then into the closed bottom ends 11 of the tubes 3, and thence into the narrow :annular spaces between the displacers 12and the tubes 3 where some of the mercury is vaporized.

The mercury vapors are taken oll from the These nipples 14 are.

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dnnn 2 through one or more outlet pipes for meroury vapor (not shown) provided at the upper side of the drum 2 in the usual manner.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the drum displacer 20 has a lower surface which conforms somewhat to the shape of the drum 2, and has its edges extended upwardly to form a pool space 21 for the collection of mercury. The drum displacer 20 is spaced from the drum 2 by means of spacers 22. The flat pool space along the levelupper side of the drum displacer 20 for the collection of mercury is partially filled with another displacer 23 that is spaced from the displacer 20 and its lips by the spacers 23'. Aframe work 24 extending from the top of the inside wall of the drum 2 is provided witlradjustablebolts' 25 which serve to keep the displacer 23 immersed in the mercury against its tendency to float. This in turn holds down displacer 20; The'curved separator baiiies 26 are similar to the separator baffies .17, shown in Fig. 2, and are used for a similar purpose. In this modification of theinvention the tube displacers or'cores 28 in the tubes 3 are hollow and are made up of two tubes one within the other having their ends connected. To provide enough length to make the nipples or sleeves 30 flexible in this uniformly thick-drum, the lower ends are fastened to the tube displacers some distance below the top of the displacer. may be provided partly across the upper ends of the tubes 3'to hold the displacers 28 in position. The mixture of mercury and mercury vapor will impinge against these plates and cause the two to be separated to a certain extent. The operation is similar to that already desoribed.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the elements are much like those shown in Fig. 3, except that the liquid surface displacer 23 in the space above the level upper side of the block 20 is sufficiently thick to bring its upper surface above the level of the pool of mercury in thedisplacer 20 and to confine the free surface of the liquid to the narrow space next to the lip of the drum displacer 20. 7

By providing a second drum displacer 23' or 23" a smaller amount of mercury can be used and still'insure a proper flow of the liquid mercury to each of the tubes 3.

The drum displacer not only minimizes the mercury volume required but serves itself as a guide to the circulation in the drum. and it is wholly submerged in the liquid'except for the edge lips. When an auxiliary drum displacer is used as in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 to displace some of the liquid in the pool in the main displacer, it may be submerged. as in Fig. 3 or be made high enough 7 to extend above the liquidlevel as in Fig. 4. In either case it is understood that the auxiliary drum displacer is in effect a part of the main drum displacer and may be constructed to bean integral part though it is shown as aseparate piece for convenience in construction and assembly.

The drum displacer is itself the drum circulation depending from said drum,- and connections through said displacer to said tubes.

2. Ina mercury boiler, a cylindrical drum, a displacer in the lower portion of said drum spaced Plates 32 therefrom having its lower surface conforming substantially to the inner surface 'of said drum f and tubes depending from said drum, flexible therefrom having a lip around its upper surface, said displacer except its lip being below the normal mercury level, tubes connected to saiddrum and connections through said displacer to said tubes, said connections comprising flexible nip- 4. In a mercury boiler, a cylindrical drum, 9.

displacer in the lower portion of said drum spaced therefrom having a lip around its upper surface,

said displacer except its lip being below the norples of substantially equal lengths.

5. In a boiler structurefthe combination of a I casing, boiler tubes connected to the casing, said boiler tubes being provided with tubular cores,- a bafiie plate in the casing provided'with passages for the flow of liquid, said passages being at least equal in diameter tothe core passages, sleeves V mounted in the bafiie plate passages and projecting into the core passages in spacedrelation to the walls thereof for conveying liquid from above for the flow of liquid to the lboilerytubesfand sleeves connecting said passages to the boiler tubes, said sleeves having fianges-whieh'enga'ge' over a limited the walls of the adjacent passages area in an axial direction. 7

'7. In a boiler structure,'the combination of easing, boiler tubes connected to the casin said boiler tubes being providedwith tubularcores, a baflie plate in the casing provided withpassages'for the flow of liquid, said passages being at least equal in diameter to the core passages,

and sleeves mounted in the baffle plate passages and projecting into the core passages and in spaced relation to the walls of at least one of said passages and for conveying liquid from *above thebaffle plate'to the core passages, theends of said sleeves forming a fluid tight joint with the walls. of the respective passages. 1

8. In a boiler structure, the combination of a casing, boiler tubes connected tothe casing', said boiler tubes being'provided with tubular cores, 7

a baflie plate in and spaced from the walls of said casing to form vaporflow spaces therebetween provided with passages therethrough" for the flow of liquid, said passages being at least equal in diameter to the core passages, and sleeves mounted in the baffle plate passages and project,-

ing into the core passages and arranged to pro;-

vide a yieldable connection therebetween.

9. In a mercury boiler, a casing, a bafile within and spaced from the walls forming the lower por tion of the casing to formvapor flow spaces therebetw'een'and concave on its upper surface to r'e- I ceive and guide liquid, said baflie having passages ,therethrough, boiler tubes connected to said 'cas-Z for each baflie and core'passage and infiuidtig'ht .relation'thereto. g 1 v r 10. In a mercury boiler, a casing, a bafiie-withsage and in fluid tight relation thereto, and a in the lower portion of the casing and concave on displacer within the concavity of the upper surits upper surface to receive and guide liquid, said face of the said baflle. bafile having passages therethrough, boiler tubes 5 connected to said casing and each provided with HOWARD J; KERR. a tubular core spaced from the walls of its respec- V JOHN PRENTIQE, tive tube, a sleeve for each baflle and core pas- GEORGE D. EBBETS. 

